Back when I covered the Angels a dozen years ago, the same old guy sat behind home plate for every spring training game. And whenever they had two outs in an inning, he’d yell, “One to get!”

Every inning. Every game.

Well, the Giants have one to get.

One more victory and they’re popping champagne and I’m reaching for my poncho while trying to keep my notebook dry. The Giants are on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time in seven years, and as exciting as that might be, an NL West title would mean more than just a ticket to the dance.

For those in the front office, it would symbolize a shift beyond the post-Bonds reconstruction era. It’s one thing for fans to rally behind homegrown, charismatic players like Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Brian Wilson, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner – all of whom could form the core of a perennial power. It’s another to watch those young players arrive as full-fledged division champions, and cheer them as they push through the tense moments of a playoff series.

Wow. That’s big stuff.

And then there is Aubrey Huff and his red thong.

The Giants are here because of a historic run of starting pitching, Buster Posey, an incredible bullpen, Buster Posey, a slew of well-timed home runs, a confident clubhouse that washes off the residue of tough losses, and Buster Posey.

Not because one well-liked goofball decides to wear a rhinestone-studded piece of androgynous underwear.

And yet, as you might recall, Huff guaranteed a 20-10 record when he first invoked the power of the “Rally Thong” on Aug. 31.

And with one game needed to clinch, the Giants are 19-8.

One more to get, and the “Rally Thong” will have done its job.

—
Speaking of uniform decisions, the Padres sure invited the wrath of the Cubs by wearing those 1984 throwback jerseys today, huh?

It’s something the Padres have done before when the Cubs came to town, rubbing their 26-year-old NLCS victory in their opponents’ faces. And you’ll notice the Cubs don’t participate in the throwback fun.

Well, not only did the Cubs play hard at Petco Park, winning three of four, but they defeated the Padres 1-0 on Thursday with a blooper, a sacrifice bunt and a chopper in front of the plate – beating San Diego at its own, feisty little game.

Not so tough without Garvey, are ya?

—
Here are links to the game story (strangely missing my byline, but I promise I wrote it) and notebook, with Bruce Bochy’s thoughts about trusting Barry Zito in a big playoff game. Here’s the on-deck box for the Padres series.

More links for you: Mark Emmons wrote a front-page feature summarizing Buster Posey’s terrific rookie season. Gary Peterson checks in with a look at Andres Torres’ improbable and so, so integral year. And here’s Mark Purdy’s column on Pablo Sandoval. Just when you think nothing else can break right for the Giants, Sandoval dunks a home run in the cove and you realize … what if the .330-hitting Kung Fu Panda shows up in October?

—
Bruce Bochy has gone with a set lineup recently, but he acknowledged there would be a few changes with a left-hander, Clayton Richard, going today.

That means Edgar Renteria, with his inflamed elbow calmed down a bit, is likely to get his first start since Sept. 17. And Cody Ross should be in there, too. The coaching staff wasn’t sure whether Ross should play in center field for Andres Torres or in right field for Jose Guillen, who has settled back into slump mode after his six-RBI game.

I’d play Torres and bench Guillen. And when the Giants oppose right-handers again, I’d put Nate Schierholtz in right field. But I think we’ve covered this ground before, haven’t we?

—
Guillen is playing for his 10th team, but he’s only been to the playoffs once before – as a midseason trade acquisition with the 2003 A’s. And it’s pretty obvious that he isn’t conditioned to playing in high-profile, winning environments. Guillen telegraphed that Wednesday, after Pat Burrell hit his huge, three-run home run in the fourth inning.

The moment screamed for a curtain call, and Burrell is used to giving them during his years in Philadelphia. The fans were on their feet and I think Burrell was doing the ol’ 10-second modesty thing after reaching the bat rack.

I was watching the top step of the dugout, but then my eyes flashed back to the plate. Not only was Guillen in the box, but he was fouling off the first pitch.

I tried to joke with Guillen about that Thursday morning, saying he was too quick to dig in. Guillen didn’t seem too amused by my attempt.

“I’m not there for curtain calls,” he said. “I’m there to hit.”

Last time I checked, you’re there for your fans, too. But whatever.

—
You probably know that Tim Lincecum will join Randy Johnson and Warren Spahn as the only pitchers since World War II to lead the NL in strikeouts for three consecutive seasons.

Here’s another amazing Lincecum strikeout stat: He has 907 career strikeouts – the most by any player in his first four seasons since 1883.

Dwight Gooden struck out 892 in his first four seasons (in 924.1 innings). Lincecum has more, and in just 811 innings.

And from a team standpoint, the Giants staff has fanned 1,306 this season, breaking the franchise record of 1,302 that was set last season.

—
I can see “Fear the Beard” becoming a pretty big thing around these parts in the late innings. Fans are bringing beard-related signs and wearing fake ones in the stands to celebrate Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson.

Wilson won’t admit that he’s dyeing his beard black, but Romo almost gave him up.

“I’d definitely have to say mine is the uglier one,” Romo said. “The beards are working. I don’t really do anything to mine. I run a comb through it every now and then.

“(Wilson) wants to be more bold. Just a guess, but a blond beard … it doesn’t look too intimidating out there.”

The most important attendee, Willie McCovey, will be there, I’m told. After all he’s gone through while recovering from a major, 12-hour back surgery in August, there might not be many dry eyes on the field.

One unfortunate consequence of moving up Matt Cain to pitch today: He might not be able to participate in the ceremony. Cain was last year’s winner.

This year’s team has no shortage of inspirational candidates. Andres Torres, Juan Uribe, Pat Burrell and Huff would seem to be the players who’ve had the biggest influence in the clubhouse or have inspired the most with their attitude and play.

—
Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse.com is a very good poker player, and he put his math skills to work looking at a billion postseason scenarios in the press box after Thursday’s game.

I’m not going to delve into every possibility. But know this:

The odds have the Giants winning the West and the wild-card Atlanta Braves as their opponent in a Division Series that would begin Thursday at AT&T Park.

One interesting scenario that could happen in Sunday’s regular-season finale, though:

Imagine that the Giants have clinched the NL West and the Padres must win to forge a tie with the Braves for the wild card. Technically, it would benefit the Giants to tank the game and set up the Padres and Braves to further extend themselves in a one-game playoff.

The Giants wouldn’t be tempted to do that, of course. There’s no punter on a major league roster. But I like the idea of adding a second wild card – and making the two teams win a play-in game to advance. There should be more of an incentive to win your division.

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

Yeah, Guillen needs to be left off the playoff roster, bad attitude and all. His at-bats are horrible. He’s slow in the outfield. If he was acquired to help us win one game, job done. Now leave him on the bench.

Folks, the bullpen will be the demise of this team. We cannot keep this scoring up forever, and we all know the starting staff is solid. But once the drought in run production comes, this bullpen is going to give up leads like there’s no tomorrow.

I will be there in my glowing orange when the G-men clinch tomorrow. Can’t believe cain is only 26 and is close to, or is, the longest tenured Giant. He deserves this chance after all that he’s had to go through with this club in the middle of the last decade.

Is Guillen really sabotaging his own cause again? Regardless of the Burrell incident, his hitting is very hot and cold. I’d rather see the better glove, functional legs and warming bat of Ross in there.

I would love a win tomorrow/Friday. Maybe Buster would get a few days off. He’s been ridden hard.

willclark5, I have that same visceral response but this Braves team has some major problems. The Pads have the Giants’ number much more recently than the Braves. The Phillies are daunting but somehow they don’t scare me that much after seeing how the Giants played them this year. The Reds are a paper tiger. I’d be surprised if they don’t get crushed by whoever they face in round 1.

I wouldn’t be so quick to write off guillen. Don’t get me wrong, I cringe everytime there’s a ball hit to right field, but when he’s hot he can flat out rake. But I think most importantly is that if the giants happen to get far enough to where they need a DH, we have our guy. Its not an easy task for those who aren’t used to it, but Guillen has done it well in the past. So instead of hoping he gets left off the playoff roster, lets hope the guy gets hot.

Ah, traces of the Guillen that the Angels DISPATCHED rather than have him participate in their playoffs. Please, what oh WHAT is the attraction of this below-average (for three years …look it up) hitter and defender? How bad does he have to be in September to find the bench?

This guy was, is, and likely always will be a jerk, and since he can no longer really play much, what in the name of Charles Schulz is going on here?

Hey I’m wrong and I admit it. But July was an entirely different month and the bullpen was serving it up on a plate. Plus we didn’t have Lopez and Ramirez back then. Don’t tell me you don’t remember Casilla/Mota/Bautista walking the bases loaded every time out. But hey I didn’t see anybody disagreeing with me back then either.

Baggs,

Glad you called out Guillen. Yes, we got him for his bat but that type of attitude will increase his chances of being on teams #11 and 12 next year.

And why bother playing Renteria at this point? Is this really a good time to let a guy try to figure out his swing? This loyalty to veterans is what got us behind early in the year.

No to a second wild card. The right 4 teams in each league will make it this year. Teams like the Red Sox, White Sox, Rockies, Cards, and Padres (probably) all had their shot over 162 games. They’re not as good as the teams ahead of them. And the 1-game play-in is a bad idea– squeak in as the 5th-best team and have an ace like Wainwright, Ubaldo, or Lester knock out a superior team? That’s no fair, makes no sense. Which means Selig will probably do it soon.

What the Giants pitching staff did in September is EPIC!! They single-handedly carried the team to the verge of the postseason! Yes there were some clutch HRs like today’s game. But this pitching staff has performed something historic this month! I have been a fan of the Giants since they moved here in 1958 and I have never seen anything like this before! Actually I HAVE seen it once before but it was the hated Dodgers who broke my 13 year old heart back in 1965 by using a similar run of historic pitching in September to beat out my beloved Giants by a nose at the finish line. That Giants team had Willie Mays, the MVP that year, hit 52 HRs AND Willie McCovey who hit 39 HRs that year … not to mention HOF pitchers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry! The Giants even had a 14 game winning streak in early September. But between the incredible pitching of the Dodgers and the suspension of Marichal for the Roseboro bat incident the Dodgers nosed them out yet AGAIN!

And THAT my young fans out there … is why I have always known PITCHING wins championships in baseball! I have been harping on this ALL season when all you others were clamoring for Sabean to trade some pitching for a hitter. Thank goodness Sabean knows the same thing I have known for years … YOU NEVER CAN HAVE ENOUGH PITCHING!!

So that all said… I now believe strongly that THIS is the Giants team of destiny … and with the best pitching staff in baseball … peaking at the exact right time of the season … THEY ARE GOING TO BRING THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TO SAN FRANCISCO IN A FEW WEEKS! Remember you read it here first!

fairness to killblue and dprof, i think we all had our doubts at some point this season and impulsively expressed those frustrations. We’ll all eat some crow and celebrate a division win this weekend. these are exciting times again for giants fans. one more to go!

Amazing how all the “Fire Sabean” idiots have disappeared. Changed their screen names? Hiding in their mother’s basement? Staying drunk 24/7 because they’ve had to come face to face with their own stupidity?

Good to see some of the whiners getting slapped around. All the fairweather fans like Kenny Powers, FireSabean, hibcbcbc, ect, ect, ect. We’ve had to suffer their stupid, hateful, whiney comments all season long. Time for these clowns to eat crow. Sit down, shutup, and don’t come back until you learn how to become real fans.

BrianisAwesome, the Pads would not have to win the first 2 games in order to tie the Braves. If the Braves lose their first 2 to Philly, than the Pads only have to win 1 before Sunday. If the the Braves win either of the first 2 then they would have to win both. All said, SD is basically eliminated. Just like it is a 99% guarantee the Giants have the #2 seed.
Teej, the Giants already have their DH, his name is Pat the Bat. I woud rather have Burrell be the DH and have Ross, Torres and Sheirholtz on defense. I believe Guillen was a good pick up. If only for the protection he provided in the line up. After that comment though, I believe it is time for him to go. It shows one of 2 things: He is either a selfish player or one that can’t understand the importance of the fans. I believe it is the former, but either way, he needs to go.
Can’t wait for tonight! I will be watching the game and then trying to explain to my 5 year old why daddy is yelling so much and jumping around after Cain pitches his complete game, 4 hit shutout!!
GO CAIN GO GIANTS!!!
GO

Is it just me, or does it seem like MadBum has cajones the size of beach balls. I am impressed by this kid every time he goes out there. He level of maturity at 21 is absolutely amazing!! I can’t remember the last time I have seen a rookie pitcher pitch this well in a pennant chase!!

Also, I can’t remember a team folding faster than that lawn chair that my 500lb grandma sat in last reunion!! Talk about a total implosion!! The Padres are hitting just .224 with 2.8 runs per game in a 12-22 month. Not the way champions close!!

Yeah, Guillen needs to be left off the playoff roster, bad attitude and all. His at-bats are horrible. He’s slow in the outfield. If he was acquired to help us win one game, job done. Now leave him on the bench.

I know there are a lot of people that are sick of the “whiners”, but try and see why so many get upset even in the victories. I still get upset when Bochy doesn’t field his best lineup, even if they win by 15 runs, because I still refuse to forget 2002 when a managerial decision essentially cost us our first World Series in SF (having spent a mere 22 years on this planet, I do not have the privilege of experiencing the NY days or a championship). That being said, it frustrates me beyond all reason when I see the team winning in spite of the manager in some games.

I don’t know about you guys, but a post season appearance is not enough. This team is great. They have thee best pitching staff in baseball, i don’t care what thee self proclaimed experts in Bristol have to say about any other staff, this team can win a championship. If they execute and are managed in a fashion that gives them the best chance to win, they can go very deep into the post season, perhaps win it all.

I will be thrilled if the giants clinch tonight, but if I feel like Bochy isn’t playing the right guys (the guys with a 9 game hitting streak, for example), I will personally not be as excited as I should be that this team is going to the post season for the first time in 7 years. Simply because I know this team could be better.

I really wish people would stop assuming this is all wrapped up. If there’s anything we should know by now as Giants fans, ESPECIALLY after this rollercoaster season, baseball is a funny sport. It makes me nervous to think the players are taking the same approach into tonight’s game. An animal is most dangerous when cornered. Same goes for ballclubs on the brink of blowing a season they had wrapped up. They’re exactly in the position they want to be in, facing the team standing in their way. I hope big brother Burrell is keeping the team’s head down and focused on what needs to he done.

On a team totally devoid of speed and slim on UZR, Andres Torres comes in, steals 25 bags, plays gold glove caliber defense, hits 14 homeruns, has an appendectomy, hits 2 more homeruns and steals a couple of those 25 SB. Then factor in his game winning hits and the timely excision of Aaron Rowand from the lineup. In short: he’s been invaluable.

Then there’s Buster Posey. What more can you say other than when he was plugged into full-time duty about 100 games ago the Giants were 1 game above 5 hundred. That puts the team at about a .600 clip since his arrival.

I find it silly that baseball pundits like the other Buster say off the wall things like “its a coin flip for NL ROY between Posey and Heyward”. Maybe its a coin flip if Buster Posey played left field and the vote was coming from the Atlanta Constitution.

That’s an .877 OPS from a catcher with 7 homeruns down the September stretch drive. Heyward has real nice OBP and an overall OPS of .851, but with only 1 more HR in over 100 more AB’s.

To defend Olney, I guess you just have to say stupid things to stir the pot.

Bumgarner finished ridiculously strong. Since the 25th of August, he whittled down his 3.95 ERA to 3.00. Yeah, helluva a Rookie campaign for him: 7-6 with a 3.00 ERA.

That is all for now, coming from an amateur scout. This team is going to be rock solid for a long time.

38-WAYBACK: Boxscore from 10-28-10? So you can predict what he’ll do 28 days from now? I’m far from being a “Hater,” but Guillen is a cancer, malcontent and bum. Yes, he had one great game, but not much else. NO ROOM for his attitude issues on this team. I’d rather platoon Cody and Nate.

is it possible that guillen didn’t realize what was going on and was focused on his at bat and when later asked about what happened, got defensive and embarassed…not saying that what he did was right, but perhaps understandable given the circumstances. what do you want him to be… a focused hitter trying to get his swing back or the perfect gentlemen with no clue what he is going to do at the bat.

and so down to the last weekend in september and one game to the playoffs and beyond, it’s been a glorious ride and we’re not there yet!
thank goodness that the giants, management and front office don’t react to events as some of the folks here would want, but that the definition of fans…fan(atic)s!
Stay positive (and thirsty) my friends….

#34
Burrell should not DH. He struggled immensely trying to do it in the AL, which is why Tampa released him in the first place. Seems to me he had a hard time with going cold on the bench between his at bats.

I agree with sitting Guillen (after we clinch), but for rest purposes only.

There is no way he is off the playoff roster *and* there is no way he sits. Guillen may not be hitting, but other teams are aware of his power and do take notice of that during his ABs. I think it’s smart to start him and then use Nate late in the game to prevent unearned runs.

I also want to add that there has been zero negative stuff written about Guillen until Baggs latest blog, so let’s not jump to conclusions that he’s a cancer. I’m not in favor of him being a Giant in 2011 (they need someone more versatile), but this clubhouse can keep him in check for the rest of the season. Heck…he may be paying that kangaroo court today for his “I’m here to hit” episode on Wednesday.

I have to laugh at the absurdity of bringing out negative quotes re the bullpen in mid july as if that reflects poorly on the author.

Compare the bullpen roster then and now, and then tell us that an ~ 20% change in the most active personel doesn’t completely change things. In any situation.

Wayback — here’s a freebie for you: you won’t have to look too hard to find folks writing that burrell was not the answer. But if you really want to contribute to this space, see if you can find any knowledgeable source/data to suggest the Burrell signing was anything more than a low risk tryout with little expectation of what we are now seeing.

I’m super glad it worked out – both for the Giants and for Burrell as well. He appears to be a great guy to have on the team, both on and off the field.

Props to Sabean for trying Burrell out. Even though I believe Sabean was just lucky with that signing, give him a point in the “plus” column. Major points, too, for the bullpen strengthening at little/no cost to the team.

Sign me,
Not a Sabean fan, but willing to look beyond single samples of failures…and successes.

What a great team this is. Just can’t say enough good things. Let’s win tonight–nationally televised (MLB Network), the mojo orange unis, Sheriff Cain on the mound–let’s make it party time in the Bay Area.

“Give Guillen a break guys, he is the only guy off the bench who can hit a sacrifice fly.”

At the risk of nitpicking, he isn’t hitting those coming off the bench. He is starting, which I think might be the problem some posters here have with Bochy’s use of Guillen.

Maybe the G’s would be better served with keeping the Guillen bat available off the bench for situational hitting? Maybe not, but such a discussion might be more interesting then slapping around those of us who have been here for awhile honestly discussing pros and cons of the Giants.

If SD makes playoff as Wildcard then we will be forced to play philly…(division leading teams cant play wildcard teams if they belong in the same division) know you baseball dude. Root for Atlanta to make it so we play them and have better chance of wining the first round..

This game today is the biggest game in Mat Cains carreer up til now. Can he handle th pressure? I don’t know, I hope so. I don’t see any reason to not play Schierholtz in right field everyday. He couldn’t hit less then Guillen and he brings more defense, speed and skill to right field and on the base paths then Guillen. (weak link.) The Giants dreams of playoffs and world series play were crushed by a certain right fielder if some of you remember. The decison by Bochy to play Guillen at all could turn the whole world around on us.

Bud Black is going to play “little Ball” against the Giants defense and pitching, I don’t see Renteria as quick enough or having a strong enough arm for that. Uribe should stay in. Bud Black will try to go after Guillen (weak link) when he is in the lineup as well.

Bochy knows what is comming from the Padres, otherwise why would he move the rotation around to have Lincicum ready for a one game playoff. If Matty loses today Zito is next (weak link) when he loses Sanchez is up against Latos. Not a good scenario.
Mat Cain has to win tonight! besides I can’t handle three more games like this, I’ll croak! The odd’s makers have the Ginats 8:5 winners tonight. I hope their streak of being right continues.

Giants, get that killer mentality, smell blood in the water and chew up and spit out the Padres! GO GIANTS!

to all you Sabean supporters, we are not here because of him, but because of all the mistakes he made, Renteria, Derosa, Rowand, no RF to start the season, Molina….it’s because of the Sabean Bashers and losing that he panicked and started listening to fans to save his job…it worked and here we are…

Before you insult other people’s baseball knowledge, question your own. If the padres win the WC, they will play Philly (as the Padres will be the worst seed and Phils will be the best seed) and we will play the Reds. I personally like that scenario the most, doubt it will happen though.

I have agonized all year when reading Bochy’s lineups but I give him a lot of credit for his overall management of men. This team carries itself very well and I think it’s the intangible that enabled them to gut this out and not panic. They had ice water in their veins against the D-backs. The Padres have shown their youth with their stumbling down the stretch.

If the good guys come out tonight cool and focused they can finish this off. If they are over-amped they will hack at slop and play into the Pads hands. I suspect Bochy’s laconic demeanor will bear fruit and they’ll play like pros. It will be good training for the playoffs.

My whining (bitching and complaining) is under control. Thank you Betty Ford. I feel for others though. Their condition is so bad they actually hope the team fails so they can keep feeding the whining monkey.

What a fun season this has been! Thanks to your blog, Baggs, and to the Giants organization for making it an always interesting, never boring season. Hope that Cain can clinch tonight, but I will be at the opera — don’t laugh, baseball and opera have many similarties.
I figure the Giants will have clinched by the time the tenor winds up his
Pourquoi me réveiller aria. Go Giants!!!

I’m a bit worried about the boom-and-bust reliance on the HR lately, certainling not whining though. Good teams hit HRs but also get a few runs using small-ball when facing a sinker-throwing pitcher. We shall see. Our strength certainly is with the pitching (let’s not forget the bullpen!) and this can carry us a long way, maybe all the way. Fasten your seatbelts.

Boss Baer is the best in the business, he’s got the organization dialed in, he deserves a big big thanks for getting us back to this spot…Been a long time in coming….the silent Admiral behing the scenes…gonna be a great weekend…

we all hate the whiners… even the whiners hate their miserable existence. but there’s a huge difference between whining and making a rational criticism, and the excerpts you chose to highlight are the latter. the giants’ offense was vulnerable to getting shut down by above average pitching in the middle of june before their great road trip before the all-star break, and the bullpen was particularly wild before they got lopez and ramirez.

this year’s team is incredibly unpredictable. their pitching is near or at the top of the league in strike outs and walks. they win 77% of games in which the score 3 or more runs in, but have only managed to do that in 100 games this year, while being held to 1 or 0 runs.

the whiners make this board intolerable, but while the giants are a very good team, they are also flawed and it’s not unreasonable to point out those flaws in a non-whining manner. hindsight is 20/20. go after more challenging targets.

I love this homegrown talent foundation we have:
Lincecum
Cain
Sanchez
Bumgarner
Posey
Sandoval
That is an impressive amount of good players that Giants have brought up through the system. 2011 = Belt?
The staff alone makes this team potentially dynastic. Here’s hoping for this year and the next decade.

It takes more than a Latos for a team to fail. There are a lot of things team can point to for failure in pressure situations but being defensive is different than making excuses.
From the story someone reported here about him trying to intimidate some kids during the BP session before he broke Flem’s moonroof he’s a type A guy who’ll react if provoked.
The Heath Bell tweets reported here show the team felt let down by a front running fan base who deserted them when they struggled in the 10 game loss streak.
Obviously there is more chemistry in the G’s clubhouse, but winning and momentum breed that and it gets expressed more when the race is there to be won and being won every inning.
I don’t expect to Padres to lie down tonight but I expect Cain to fulfill his role and the pen the pull it out by a whisker or two in a low scoring game.
Momentum is next days starting pitcher, though, and if they pull out a close one due to some kind off gaffe or curse type episode then it falls to Zito on Saturday. A bad Barry 1st inning and the press-ure will build on the G’s bats.
If it goes to Sunday then Sanchez and his plot line becomes involved.
Don’t say EPIC FAIL so loosely.

The Padres still think they can come into AT&T and beat the Gigantes three in a row. That from the mouth of AGonzales, not to mention Dick Enberg and Mark Grant. As Mitch Williams said the other day, “You can know the dog in the hunt, but you can’t know the fight in the dog”. I hope the G’s beat all of the fight out of the Padres because they have more fight in them. Let’s do it tonight Cainer. Go Giants!

This is the time of year when veteran’s come through. Look for Rowand and Renteria to contribute even if there chances are few. The Giants will go all-out to win game one vs. S.D. None of this “All we need is one win…” They have to focus on winning every game because S.D. certainly will. When it’s over, then it will be over. Not before!

All this talk about “fight” and stuff amuses me! Baseball is a game of CONCENTRATION not football fanatic type emotion! Anybody who has played the game realizes that! You start playing with too much emotion and you lose your motor skills … which is what baseball is ALL about! Let’s hope the Giants focus and concentrate tonight to finish off the Padres! No need to “fight” anybody… just focus, relax and let the talent take over!

Timer, Timer 40-Water.
Big-timer.
Latos was “chatting up” fans in BP and thre a couple of well placed heater near the top of the outfield fence supposedly spooking some kids.
When he was booed for the behavior he airmailed one over the Coke Bottle and smashed the glass in Flem’s car.
He got billled and paid up.

1 more win or 3 more Braves losses and the Giants make the playoffs, but they must win 1 to have home field advantage for round 1.

I don’t agree with Bochy on keeping Zito on the roster to pitch a playoff game. I think you must go with your best but if management is concerned about Madbum’s innings, then that changes the equation. The best chance to win is Lincecum, Sanchez, Cain, and Madbum with the thought that Sanchez is better at home and Madison is better on the road. Timmy would get the 5th game. Both Lincecum and Cain are your best bets to win a game right now.

There are some interesting choices to make for the post season roster. Relievers Wilson, Romo, Ramirez, Casilla, Lopez. Affledt, and a choice between Ray and Runzler. Outfielders Burrell, Torres, Guillen, Ross, Nate and Infielders Panda, Uribe, Sanchez, Huff, Ishy, Fontenot, Renteria. Do you need a second catcher or do you need Renteria? What about a runner like Ford? That stolen base was vital to Boston in 04 and except for Torres, the Giants don’t have a anyone but Ford that can do that.

The key to the post season is wins. A good post season manager will focus on winning the game at hand which could mean longer saves for Wilson and multiple innings from other relievers that have their good stuff that game. Why take out a reliever who is getting outs just because his inning is up when the next guy may not have it that day? Win that game and worry about the next game later. That is playoff baseball.

Also, I think everyone needs to dial back the celebratory oratories. Baseball humbles the arrogant (“here’s the game ball Russ!”). The Giants need to beat their 2010 nemesis, who very well may scratch and claw till the death this weekend. The Giants haven’t clinched yet. There is no running down the clock in baseball. They still have to deliver the knockout blow. All I’m saying is to play it cool right now. Celebrate and talk playoff match-ups and awards when the Giants are officially in.

yes, if they had stuck with the plan from opening day, we would not be in contention (there’s no way we’d be worse than the dodgers or dbacks). fortunately, opening day rosters are not set in stone, so teams are allowed trade, use the waiver wire, or promote from triple-a (i know. i was surprised to hear about this too. sounds preposterous). the brain trust, unlike in other years, has done a great job putting together a team that’s gonna end up with 91-94 wins this season. teams dont win in spite of their front office. they win because of it. the only thing this team has won in spite of is the 30 million they’ve spent on their least productive outfielder and starting pitcher. and again, kudos to management for overcoming their own mistakes to still be able to put a very good team out there

Straight from the Mat Latos school of charm I see … You should be a little more judicious throwing around words like ‘collapse’ after the 12-16 September your Madres put together (hey Chicago whattya say, the Cubs are gonna win today!).

To quote a fictional journalistic legend that hails from your neck of the woods … Stay classy, San Diego!

Your team is in the process of doing one of the biggest choke jobs in baseball history and you think they can turn it around on a dime … NOW? I have to admire your loyalty … even if it sounds a bit desperate now!

The truth is the Padres were a flawed team from the start that got a great 5 months of pitching. But the Cinderella slipper did not really fit! The Pads bats have gone stone cold and the pitchers are all gassed! It is MIDNIGHT at AT&T this weekend my friend!!

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